


Mercy

by LoriDrabbles



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Coup de grâce, First Time, Fluff, I cried writing this, Implied Sexual Content, Jedi, Jedi Reader, Like so much angst, hella angst, i almost cried writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:07:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoriDrabbles/pseuds/LoriDrabbles
Summary: Echo had been in love with (y/n). The only problem was, she was a Jedi. They carried out their relationship in secret, until one day, he disappeared. Heartbroken, she barely found the will to carry on. Just when she was at her breaking point, Rex brings her some news. Echo was alive. During the rescue mission, she's faced with a difficult decision.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | Echo/Reader
Kudos: 25





	Mercy

(Y/n) couldn't remember a time when her heart didn't flutter when thinking about Echo. As a Jedi, of course, she wasn't supposed to have these feelings, but her late Master Qui-Gon reminded her that feelings could be healthy and controlled. During her first few missions with the 501st, all she could do was stare at him across the room. As soon as her eyes would cross hers, she'd look away or pretend she was looking at something behind him. She didn't know it, but whenever his helmet was covering his face, he'd be staring just the same.   
She expected her heart to jump to her chest when he decided to talk to her alone one day, but after meditating on Qui-Gon's teaching for hours upon hours, she restrained herself. Yes, her heart was pounding and her breathing was quick and heavy, but she wasn't distracted.  
"I know I shouldn't be talking to you alone like this," Echo said to her one day after everyone else had left the meeting room. "And it's against every regulation, but the books never said there's anything wrong with flirting."  
"Do the books say anything about a top-secret briefing with a Jedi Commander?" She asked, gazing into his eyes, twirling a piece of her (h/c) hair around her finger.  
"I don't believe they do." He said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "And where would this meeting take place?"  
"In a private study room in the library as the base of the Jedi temple. The one that's open to the public. I could really use some help understanding a few..." She placed her hand on his cheek and ran her finger down his face to trace his jawline. "Protocols..."   
"I'll make sure to bring my manuals." He purred.  
That's one thing she always loved about him. He knew right from wrong and the risks of disobeying what had been put in place, but knew how to work his way around things that were unnecessarily ridiculous. She also knew he would never let her take things too far unless she really wanted to. If she'd ask him to do something that would for sure get her kicked out of The Order, he wouldn't let her unless she had been begging for weeks.  
"I know the consequences." She panted, straddling him as he sat on a cushion on the floor of the library where they met several times a week. Her fingers danced around the plating of his armor, trying to remove any piece she could. "Please...no one will know."  
"You'll be in serious trouble, my dear." He said cupping her face in his hands.  
"I'll leave." She said, turning her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "I just want to be with you."  
"And make me a deserter? I couldn't." He said. She brought her lips to his, giving him a quick peck on the lips, before resting her forehead against his.  
"Is there anything in the book about a classified stealth mission, where both the Commander and her Corporal lose their lives?"  
"Yes, it's called a level 4 recovery mission that wouldn't stop till they found our bodies." He snickered playfully, kissing her cheek.  
"I hate your books." She said, leaning into him, her arms around him.  
He took a deep breath and closed, enjoying the closeness and placed kisses on her temple as he ran his fingers through her hair. His eyes opened when he heard a snap.  
"Haha! Got it!." She said victoriously as she removed his pauldron.  
"Hey!" He said, watching as she tossed it to the side. "You know how much trouble you'll get in to. I know you want this, but-"  
"I do want this." She leaned forward, kissing him again.  
"But, you're not thinking with your head right now." He said, trailing his hand from her shoulder to her stomach. He moved forward to sit up, sliding her off his lap, and stood. He reached for his pauldron and returned it to its rightful spot over his shoulder.  
"Echo." She whined, standing up as well. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her gently.  
"Think about it." He said.  
"But I have th-"  
"Meditate on it." He cut her off, his voice strict, but soft. "Give it some time. I don't want you to make a decision before you're ready to deal with the consequences. I've got to get going."   
"Ok..." She said, disappointed, but glad he was looking out for her wellbeing.  
"I love you." He said, looking over his shoulder as he stood at the door.  
"I love you too." She smiled.  
She had done as he asked and meditated on it for a while, thinking about what Qui-Gon would tell her to do in the situation. He didn't think intimacy should be against the Jedi code, but just like feelings, it should be enjoyed in controlled moderation. She was glad she waited. Assisting a stressed-out soldier in her meditation room for one-on-one learning made for a much more romantic time than the floor of the library.  
She wasn't supposed to join the 501st and 212th on their mission to the Citadel, but when Master Plo pulled her aside and asked her to go to keep an eye on Ahsoka, she happily joined. She had always been able to cope with loss before. It was difficult, but over the years, it became easier and easier. Her heart wrenched every time a clone fell beside her, but she no longer froze in place and learned to grieve later.  
No amount of meditation or experience could have prepared her for watching her dearest Echo turned to ash and bone in a fiery blaze before her. It had been years since she froze, but her legs were iron and weights of grief were shackled around her waist. She could hear Fives and Rex screaming for her to move, but it wasn't until one of them grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her that came to her senses and ran.   
She'd never felt this sort of bereavement before. She felt empty and numb and the world around her was dull. Getting out of bed in the morning was pointless, but it had to be done. It took her a great amount of effort to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Feeling the cold floor on her feet sent the shock through her system that she needed to snap out of it and join the others. This went on for months. One day, she just couldn't take the first step to move forward so she sat there, motionless, on the edge of her bed. No one ever knocked on her door, so when she heard a rhythmic rapping, it sparked her interest.  
"Who is it? Come in." She called, still unmoving.  
"Commander (Y/n)." It was Rex, panting, a bead of sweat on his brow.   
"Rex? What is it? Calm down." She said, getting up and grabbing him by the wrist, placing a hand on his heaving chest. She led him to a seat and waited for him to talk.  
"Echo...I know you are going to think I'm insane. Cody did, but you have to believe me." He tried to catch his breath. "The algorithm Echo and I came up with. The separatists are using it and...I thought maybe there was a chance he could be alive."   
She scowled.  
"Stop it, Rex." She said, dropping his hand from hers.  
"No. Listen." He said. "I didn't even believe it myself, but-"  
"I said enough! He's gone!" She said, on the verge of tears.  
"I...I'm sorry, Commander." He said, his voice calm and quiet. "But...please allow me to finish."  
She crossed her arms, scowl still across her face as she stared at the floor. She ground her teeth as she heard him sigh.  
"He told me how close you were." He said quietly.   
"He did?" She asked, her face softening.  
"Yes. We told each other everything." He said. "Will you please let me finish?"  
"Go ahead." She whispered after her voice hitched in her throat.  
"I myself didn't believe he could be alive, but after our raid on a separatists base, I know he is. I heard him speak. I know it was him."  
"H-how do you..."  
"I don't know, but we're headed to the source of the signal now. Please come with us." He begged. She looked at him for a short moment, thinking it over and nodded.  
"(Y/n), get in here!" Rex called. She looked in the direction of his voice as she continued to deflect blaster bolts with her lightsaber.  
"Go on, commander. We've got this." Wrecker said. (Y/n) jogged to the room and shut the door behind her.   
Rex knelt on the floor beside Echo. He was thin, pale, hooked up to all sorts of sensors and machinery. He spasmed and twitched as Rex tried to communicate with him. He mumbled incoherently and his eyes looked empty and soulless. (Y/n) rushed to him, kneeling beside him placing a hand on his cheek, warming his skin with her touch.   
"Echo." She whispered, tears pricking her eyes.  
"Tech, how is he?" Rex asked, standing up.  
"He's...not all there." He said solemnly. He pointed to his datapad. "You can see here what's been done to his brain. It's like he's only able to function properly if a certain signal is transmitted from the control center. He's awake and conscious of what's happening around him, but he can't react to it. I can't imagine the pain...and agony." He said.  
"Is there anything we can do?" (Y/n) asked, holding his trembling hand.  
"Unfortunately, no." He said, shaking his head. "If we disconnect him he'll die. But it'll be slow...and horrible. We could quickly reprogram him somewhat, but he'll never be the same. I'll go and help the others. I'll leave you two to decide what we're going to do."  
"Ok, Tech." Rex said. "Thank you."  
Rex turned back to (Y/n) who had her arms wrapped tightly around the frail shadow of her lover, sobbing over his shoulder.  
"I'm so sorry, love." She cried, caressing his cheek, looking into his empty eyes. Looking for something, anything. She spoke through her sniffles and hiccups. "I should have sensed you were ok. I shouldn't have left you behind. Please, I know you're in there. Just talk to me. Give me anything."  
She cried, placing a kiss on his lips, then several all over his face.  
"(Y/n)." She heard him whisper. She looked at him, hopefully. For a moment, he stopped trembling, his breathing slowed, and the color returned to his eyes.   
"Yes. It's me, love. I'm here." She cried, placing another kiss on this lips, this time, getting a little something back. She rested her head against his forehead, listening for the faintest whisper.  
"Please..." Echo struggled to speak. "E...end it...end." He gasped. "The citadel. We have to get out of the Citadel. The shuttle...it's."  
And just like that, he was gone again. She cried, hugging him close to her, his head nuzzled into her chest.  
"(Y/n)?" Rex spoke softly. She turned her head to face him, blinking away some tears. She looked at his hip, then up at him, holding out her hand. He removed his blaster from the holster and placed it in her outstretched hand.  
"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it." She said.   
"It's ok, (Y/n)." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down to kiss the top of her head, then Echo's cheek. He tried to keep his voice from shaking and was successful, but couldn't keep the tears from falling down his face. "It's what's best." He stood and took a step back, looking straight ahead, his eyes fixated on the empty chamber, unable to watch.  
"I'm so sorry, Echo. I love you so much." She said, giving him one last kiss on the top of his head as she brought the blaster to his temple. She squeezed her eyes shut, as she pulled the trigger. The sound rang loudly in her ears as he slumped against her chest. When the ringing faded, the room was quiet. Rex silently walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"We should go." He said. She stood, laying Echo out on the floor, the necklace he had given her clutched in his left hand as it lay on his chest. She tore a small piece of fabric from her cloak, brought it to her lips and kissed it, before covering his face with it.   
"I love you." She whispered one last time as she stood to leave with Rex. As they stepped through the door, he gave her hand a squeeze.  
The ride on the transport was rowdy as usual with the bat batch aboard, but Rex and (Y/n) sat silently side by side. (Y/n) fiddled with her fingers and Rex sat with his elbows on his knees, hands folded in front of him.  
"Did I do the right thing?" She said. Rex took a deep, quiet breath and looked at her.  
"I would have done the same." He said, taking one of her hands. "I'm sorry you had to make that decision, (y/n)."  
"I couldn't leave him in the hands of those bastards." She said.  
The two of them were silent for a moment.  
"I could feel it." She said. "Like he was trying to tell me it was ok. Like...like he wanted me to..." She couldn't help but start sobbing uncontrollably. "Did I do the right thing! Tell me I did the right thing, Rex! Please!"   
Rex put his arm around her, pulling her close, shushing her gently.  
"You did the right thing, (y/n)." Rex tried his best to calm her down, but her erratic screaming and crying alerted the attention of the rest of the ship. As she looked down to her lap, she noticed the crimson red stains covering her chest and the spatters on her arms. "Get it off me!" She screamed. "It...it's not my blood! It's not my blood!"  
Tech stepped forward, a daunting looking needle in his hand and injected whatever it was into her neck. She slumped over onto Rex and her crying and panting became slow, steady breaths.  
"That should help her calm down." He said. "I...can't imagine what she's feeling right now, but she'll be ok. Why don't we all head to the front of the ship and give her some quiet time."  
Rex stood, gently positioning her to lay on the bench as he walked to the door. Crosshair stood there, staring at (y/n) with a blank face, then to Rex. Remembering his comments, Rex furrowed his brow, upper lip raising ever so slightly.  
"What?" He asked, almost spitting out his words. Crosshair sighed and looked back to (y/n).  
"I'm sorry." He said putting a hand on his shoulder. "About everything."  
"Thank you." Rex said, after a bit of silence.   
"I'll...make sure to apologize to her too when she comes around."   
"Give it a few days." Rex said. "But, I think she'd like to hear it and she'll need all the support she can get."


End file.
